Page 122 - TP_Prime_v2.2_Class_6
P. 122
Computer Languages
To communicate with the computers, we need some special languages which are called
computer languages or programming languages. A computer language is the medium by
which instructions are transmitted to the computer to perform a specific task. It is a set of
words, symbols and codes that the computer can understand. It is used to write computer
Prime (Ver. 2.2)-VI The process of writing a program is called programming. People who write the programs
programs. A computer program is a set of instructions written in a programming language.
are called programmers. There are a number of programming languages worldwide. Some
languages were developed for specific computers, others were developed for specific
uses such as scientific or business applications. Computer languages are classified into
two major categories:
120 Computer Languages
Low-Level Language High-Level Language
Machine Assembly Third Generation Fourth-Generation Natural
Language (1GL) Language (2GL) Language (3GL) Language (4GL) Language (5GL)
Low-Level Language (LLL)
A low-level language is a programming language that is machine dependent. A program
written in machine-dependent language runs only on one particular type of computer. There
are two categories of low-level languages:
Machine Language
Machine language is the only language understood by the computer. It is also known as the
first generation language (1GL). Machine language is very difficult for programmers to use
because it only consists of two digits, 0 and 1, called binary digits or bits. Where the bit
'0' represents the OFF state and the bit '1' represents the ON state.
Assembly Language
Assembly language is also known as second generation language (2GL). It is the language in
which program codes are written in the form of alphanumeric symbols called ‘Mnemonics’
instead of 0 and 1.

